St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-30


ror, a thing which he had not been able
TO do during the war. He looked at
himse If and thought that after all his
hardships he was looking very well.
But do you find no change in your
looks?" asked his wife.
He replied that he did not. He made
faces at himself in the glass, but it was
just the same; he frowned, but he did
not remember that he had ever looked
otherwise.
Frau Lise had always loved Johann's
merry brown eyes, and the blue eyes
looked strangely at her. 1t seemed as if
an entirely different person looked out
of them, and the voice sounded SO diff
ferent. But she was a wise woman,
and determined to put up with the in
evitable.
Next day Johann rose early, but trou-
bled himself not at all about the store.
When LiSe had opened the store she saw
her husband enter, and again open all
the drawers and curiouSly peer into
them.
''Why did you set up the grocery store
during my absence?" he asked, land
what has become of my workshop? l
must goto work"
Lise stared at him in fear. He asked
further about his two journeymen and
the apprentice, and what had become of
the lumber shed in the yard land whether
she had sold his workbench for all the
syrup, coffee and the other things. He
said he did not wish to give up his trade
as cabinetmaker.
The poor wife knew not what to an
swer, but left him alone in the store.
When after time she returned she
found him standing in the doorway in
his former everyday dress.
''There are people in the store who
want to purchase all sorts of things" he
said. Il don't understand anything
about it. | am going to the city to-day"
he added, ito get new workbench and
some lumber, and to hire workman,
so that l can get to work again."
HE has really gone crazy" moaned
LiSe to herself.
She drew him back into the house,
and to pacify him told him that that
could be attended to platter. But he asked
her for money to make the purchases.
She replied that she could spare no
money from the store, Whereupon he re-
piled that he would go to LOwenthal,
the money changer, from whom he had
so often borrowed.
There was no man of this name in
town, but Lise shrewdly told him that
the man was upon journey.
Johann put his hat On again.
"Then Io, will ask some of my old
friends for the money!" said he as he
left the house.
Lise sat down and wept bitter tears.
The children surrounded her, and the
youngest wept also, because its mother
did. The poor woman could not tell
them that their father had lost his rea-
son.
Johann Grothe returned at midday.
sit is stranger said he, sadly. mot
solitary man do l know of ali whom l
have met, and 1 don't know my way
through the town."
But when he saw Lise he was in good
spirits again, and kissed her. He took
the children, too, again in his lap. al
though they acted strangely toward
him.
And thus it went on from day to day.
But he became discontinued because he
could not endure idleness. Lise always
called the children when she wished to
restore him to good spirits. She did all
in her power to avoid provoking him,
but when she finally, on the advice of
the neighbors, summoned physician
from nelghboring city to examine him,
ne became very angry, and drove the
doctor away.
LiSe had never seen her husband so
enraged.
81 am not crazy!" he cried, 'sbut |
shall become crazy if have no employ
ment. The whole stock in the Store
there shall be sold, for l am no shop
keeper, but cabinetmaker, and want
my work bench back"
But when his anger was spent he en-
braced Lise again and the chilren, and
the good woman, to whom the doctor
had said that her husband suffered from
mOnOmania, could only quiet him when
she sat down with him and told him
about men and things which were dear
to his heart or when she offered cold
sausage for his stomach.
Peace was, however, frequently dis
turbed, and ultimately it was not posi-
BILE to restore it. Johann was as good at
heart as ever. but when his heart would
do anything his head would not suffer it,
and his head gradually obtained full
power over his whole nature. He in
sisted on following his own will, and de-
clared that he was master in the house.
Il am the cabinet-maker Gottfred
Adrian he cried, land no one shall
compel me any longer to be a petty
shOpkeeper!"
.'For heavens sake" sighed Lise.
when she heard it, ''nOw he is the cabi-
hul1OH. llC LIDS lOJSOICcn
his own naIne!"
Thus it came about that when the dis
cord had constantly become worse, Jo-
ham said to himself one day:
81 am still young; l will leave nv
wife and children for while, and when
L return things will go better. Lise can
meanwhile keep her shop; it will sup
port her and the children.
TO this determination he held fast.
He embraced his children one evening
with tears in his eyes, and left the house
after leaving On the table where his
wife was preparing supper paper upon
which he had written:
Farewell! [ cannot endure idleness.
l am going out into the world to earn
my living as cabinet-maker.o
His heart was heavy and urged him to
return, but his head ~ liz
said to him, "They &M
consider you crazy; a. ny
show the world in the NsR IN
workshop that you can NV = n
succeed as a cabinet A6{ &N
maker! And he re- EUMM ND
peated this to himself @SR||
whenever homesick- N NV -
ness babe him return. --ijkN
After an hour on the Ol
road he concluded to
rest at an inn beside the highway. In
front of the house stood a long table
VI n In, <>;4